The present invention relates to a device capable of accommodating a plurality of reaction vessels being specifically adapted so that when placed in a magnetic field, such as that generated by a laboratory magnetic stirrer, any reaction vessel accommodated by the device is in an effective position for stirring with respect to the magnetic field.
In the field of organic chemistry it is often desirable to perform a variety of related chemical reactions simultaneously under similar reacting conditions. The technique for performing such reactions simultaneously is known as parallel synthesis.
One of the problems associated with carrying out parallel syntheses in the laboratory is that the majority of existing laboratory magnetic stirrers are only designed to accommodate and efficiently stir the contents of one reaction vessel at any one time. Accordingly, such equipment is not suitable for use In parallel synthesis.
Laboratory magnetic stirrers specifically designed for use in parallel synthesis are known. However, such apparatus, conventionally known as parallel reaction stations are only available as complete units incorporating a source of magnetic flux together with a frame for accommodating reaction vessels. These units are very costly in comparison to laboratory magnetic stirrers. The present device is advantageous over known devices in that it allows a conventional magnetic stirrer to be used for parallel synthesis and hence provides significant economic advantages compared with parallel reaction stations.